An Enemy of Rome

In regards to our action against Lepidus, I feel that it was inadequate and will only serve to infuriate Lepidus more causing him to inflict more damage upon Rome. Regardless of whether I agreed with declaring him a public enemy in the first place, it is done now. We must move on and deal with the situation at hand. As far as dealing with Lepidus further, I believe that we should strip him of his provinces and make it known throughout Rome and the world, that he is an Enemy of Rome and should be treated as such. Allowing Lepidus to take control of his provincial armies would be detrimental to our already unstable position. Sitting around and doing nothing about him now will only lead to trouble later. We should be hunting him down, as he is an Enemy of Rome, and dealing with him as quickly as possible; thus allowing the Senate and Rome to get on with business as usual. While there are many issues vying for our attention, and they are all very important, I would like to remind you fellow Senators that we have no idea where Lepidus is right now. He could have gathered his legions from Spain and Gaul already or be in Egypt gathering more troops preparing to march on Rome. Lepidus should be our main concern right now. The issue of Brutus and the conspirators can wait. As much as it pains me to speak highly of him, Brutus has remained in Rome ready to accept the consequences of his actions, whether it be honor or death, and for that I thank him. Do not think that I feel that Brutus deserves no punishment, but I believe that Brutus will remain in the city until we decide what his fate should be. Lepidus however, has taken over the forum, and left Rome with a legion of troops! Only the gods know how many he has gathered by now! He has proven again and again that he is prone to rash action and will do anything to accomplish his objectives. I feel that we should suspend the discussion of Brutus until immediately after the crisis with Lepidus is resolved.

A Crisis Ignored

Senators, Lepidus has been declared a public enemy. War is upon us. We must act quickly if we are to emerge victorious. While I held that we should have first delivered an ultimatum to Lepidus demanding that he relinquish his command and return to Rome, we, instead, voted to declare him a public enemy. There is no more time to delay. If he was not opposed to us then, he will certainly be opposed to us now, and a formidable enemy he is. Lepidus will fight. He commands five legions; one here in Italy, two in Gaul, and two in Spain. If we do not act quickly, we shall face the very real prospect of military defeat.
My esteemed colleague Varro has suggested a good plan. With the large number of veterans of Caesar’s campaigns residing in Italy, I suggest that we recruit them into the legion being raised by Dolabella. Furthermore, if Lepidus has summoned his legions from Spain and Gaul then it will be imperative that the three legions under Decimus Brutus in Transalpine Gaul prevent them from entering Italy. We also have a way of dealing with with Lepidus’ legions in Spain. Send the two legions under Pollio against Lepidus’ Spanish legions. This will keep Lepidus’ Spanish legions tied up in the west, while Decimus Brutus fends off those in Gaul. This leaves only one legion in Italy at Lepidus’ command. We should be able to raise more than enough troops from Caesar’s old legions to deal with these.
Let us also keep in mind, Senators, that our scouts have brought us no news of Lepidus’ whereabouts. Without actionable intelligence, our armies do not stand a chance in the field. We must redouble our efforts to gain this information, or we will not succeed in defending our fatherland.
I would also like to point out here why we are in this position to begin with. We have spent so much time squabbling over personal vendettas that we have failed to seize the opportunity to prevent this sort of thing from occurring in the first place. Our esteemed consuls would have us believe that their personal vendetta against Brutus is somehow more pressing than a renegade general who knocks at our door with the strength of no fewer than five legions! Are we mad?! By the gods, to continue our debate from the other day would be not only insane, but also a clear sign that we no longer have the best interests of the Republic at heart.
I propose that we suspend the discussion of Brutus until we have dealt with Lepidus. We are in a state of emergency. We can no longer sit idly by while the wolves howl at the door. We must answer them, or be devoured. I implore you senators, put down your vengeance; put down your petty squabbles. Our country is in mortal danger. Protect her! What good will it be to try Brutus for crimes against the state when there is no state left in which to do so?! Turn to the danger at hand before it is too late.

The Threat Is Not Over

Marcus Amelius Lepidus is a threat to the republic which we so greatly value. In a true republic, no one man should be given an unusual amount of power. His title of magister equitum and command of a legion located within Rome clearly set him up to assume Caesar's post as dictator. This failed when the Senate showed their lack of faith in his ability to lead and removed him from his office. However, this is where Marc Antony chose to leave the matter and this is where Marc Antony was mistaken.
Antony was blinded by his blood-thirst. Rather than choosing to contain an angry ex-magistrate, he moved on to his petty wishes of exacting revenge on the liberators. Now Lepidus runs amok somewhere within the nation. Yes, we have raised and army. However, Dolabella is in command and still sits in the Senate, day after day, playing lap dog to Antony. This legion is about as beneficial as the last one put in place to guard Rome, the very same one Lepidus has on a leash with him. It was suggested that Vorenus be in charge under Dolabella. However he did not see fit to include Vorenus in the raising of the army. Why? Because Vorenus would have used the legion for its purpose, to defend us.
We have also made Lepidus and enemy of the state. While I do think this is appropriate due to his blatantly criminal actions, we should not have stopped there. We did not send scouts to find him. We did not try to legally disband the army. We moved on to harassing our patriots as a scapegoat to draw attention away from Marc Antony's own tyrannical actions. I ask you, what good is two consuls when both are fed from the same pocket?
At the very least, we need to send out scouts to ascertain the location of Lepidus and his legion. What are we to do if he gathers his other legions? We should remove him from his command of all his legions. Some will argue that we do not know his intentions and that this act would be hasty and rash? What then was his act when he removed his legion from the city? It has been the purpose of that legion to reside within the city walls and protects us for over one hundred years. This whole situation smells of more chaos and confusion. We could very well have another civil war on our hands. Yes, we have raised an army. But will it stand when Lepidus returns with all his legions? We are giving him time to collect these other legions by ignoring him while Marc Antony pursues a personal vendetta against Brutus. Brutus is not going anywhere. He is a very noble senator loyal to the Republic. Anywhere there is something to be done for the good of the Republic, there you will find Brutus.
If Marc Antony does not wish for Lepidus to march on Rome, he should set his personal feelings aside, for at least the present, and pursue the real danger at hand. Perhaps he should have learned this had he actually listened to the wise words of Piso, rather than spend that time instructing his lap dog on how he wished the rest of the Senate meeting to run. Lepidus is dangerous. If we do not act quickly, he will act for us. When he does, there will be no more Senate conflict and squabbling because there will be no more Senate.

De Collatini Nomine

In this senate we have heard the names of Lucius Junius Brutus and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus, the first two consuls of the Roman Republic. We here are debating the fate of this Brutus’ grandson, but I wish to talk of the other consul in those early days, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. In doing so I also hope to show you all the utter revulsion that your ancestors had toward the title king.

Once Tarquinius Superbus had been expelled, an oath was taken that the Roman people would never allow anyone to be king, nor anyone to be in Rome who might be a danger to freedom. Yet the people found a Tarquin again in a position of power. Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus was a nephew of Superbus, but held no desires to become king. Though in the position of consul, he had no love of kings, mindful of the violence done to his wife Lucretia by his cousin Sextus. But he retained the name of Tarquin, not by choice, but by birth, and the people of Rome found that name utterly detestable. The people of Rome, his co-consul, and his father-in-law all asked Collatinus to remove himself from Rome.

Though a friend to the whole city, Collatinus left Rome, rather than allow his presence there bring danger upon the Republic, of which he could truly be called “father”. The people understood Collatinus’ honest nature, but also the danger that his name possessed. And so, for the welfare of the newly founded Republic, they exiled a man who didn’t have the ambition to be king, but only the name.

If the people of Rome could not endure such a man, how could it endure a man who did not yet possess the name, but was filled with the ambition? If we are to judge Caesar by the honors and titles he possessed, we should also consider what type of character led him to actually accept these titles. Is there any honor he did not accept; did he show any restraint when gleefully lengthening his name? Did he show himself conscious of the respect due the Senate and the Republic when he claimed that the Senate was nothing, “a mere name without body or form”? Did he show proper propriety when he threatened us to consider his words as law? I have already discussed the removed crown that he so deeply mourned, and his actions during the Lupercalia. But what of his campaign against Parthia, which the omens state may only be conquered by a king? Would Caesar have left upon his campaign without assuring his success, and not urge Lucius Cotta to recommend the title of “REX ROMANORUM” be added to his already burdensome name?  Through his actions Caesar proclaimed his desire for the throne – but I misspeak. He had already commanded that a golden throne be set up in the Curia, and that his statue be added among those of the Roman Kings. It was apparent that Caesar, though he lacked the name itself, still sought the power of a king.
In such a situation, is there any doubt how the first Republicans would have acted?

On the Order of Lepidus

The actions taken against Marcus Aemelius Lepidus were for the good of all Rome. The senate had been in a state of lethargy and the actions taken against Lepidus will hopefully bring an end to this. Prior to this vote, the senate had been slow to take action when and if they took action at all. Hopefully, we have awaken from our sleep in time to stop the dangers at hand and are able to keep Rome safe from the rule of one man. We have given our consensus an army should be raised and lead by Publius Cornelius Dolabella. This is, at least for the time being, a start on the right course of action. However, as you may know we are unsure as to where this legion should be going. We failed to act when Lepidus was within the city, thus at that time we showed that wisdom without action accomplishes nothing. However, action without wisdom is just as futile. We must now look to become both men of action and men of wisdom. We must now try to figure out what has become of dear Lepidus. The one thing we can be sure of is that we have not heard the end of Lepidus. We have declared him an enemy of the state, so we must expect him to try and enter Rome through the force of his legions. This, however discomforting it may be, is not the worst of our troubles. We must find Lepidus and deal with him before he inspires others to perceive Rome as weak now that Gaius Julius Caesar is no longer our leader. If men start to believe that Rome is weak, this will only be the first of many rebellions that we shall have to put down.

Noble senators, what I propose is that we take action while we gain wisdom. We have no knowledge of where he is going, but I believe Lepidus will seek the support of his many legions. He will hope for the support of his men, seeing them as the most trustworthy people to his cause. We must at least match the number of troops he will attempt to turn to his cause. I believe that these men should also be experienced in battle, because Lepidus’ men, the men our legions may have to fight, will also be veterans. We should recall some of the troops we have abroad to help us fight against this new threat. We must also seek to learn as much about Lepidus’ activities as we possibly can. As long as we have no knowledge of what he is up to, we can only hope to counter the actions he takes after they have been taken. In order for us to take the offensive, we must seek greater knowledge and understanding. We must understand where he will head so that we may take the initiative. If we can learn his route, we will be able to engage him on terrain that we desire to acquire an advantage for our soldiers. We may even be able to separate his forces and engage them while we maintain the advantage of numbers as well. There are many variables when fighting so there are no guarantees, however a good leader can increase the odds of success for his army. A good leader is even capable of turning bad odds to his favor and snatching a victory from the jaws of defeat. Do not believe that Lepidus is anything short of a good leader, for doing so would be folly on our part. He will have the support of his men and he may be capable of turning battles in his favor, which is all the more reason for us to prepare for his actions. We must hope that his plans will take time to come to fruition, because right now time is our ally. However, we must be prepared to act once he starts his plans in motion. We must have troops on hand and we must have knowledge of his whereabouts and the path he seeks to take to arrive at Rome. If we can acquire this knowledge then we must take action because we will have the wisdom to choose the best course of action. However, if we cannot obtain this information we must react as best and as quickly as possible until we can outmaneuver Lepidus.

Roman Legions in March, 44 BCE

The following list shows the disposition of Roman legions in March, together with the governor assigned to each province.

Further Spain: 2 legions (C. Asinius Pollio proconsul)

Nearer Spain: 2 legions (M. Aemilius Lepidus proconsul)

Gallia Narbonensis: 2 legions (M. Aemilius Lepidus proconsul)

Gallia Transalpina: 3 legions (Lucius Munatius Plancus proconsul)

Gallia Cisalpina: 2 legions (Decimus Iunius Brutus proconsul)

Sardinia: 1 legion

Central Italy: 1 legion (Marcus Aemilius Lepidus magister equitum)

Illyricum: 3 legions (Publius Vatinius proconsul)

Macedonia: 5 or 6 legions, destined for Parthian campaign (perhaps including one formed from Pompey’s army)(Q. Hortensius proconsul)

Syria: 7 legions (C. Antistius Vetus, quaestor pro praetore; succeeded by L. Staius Murcus, proconsul)

Africa Nova: 3 legions (T. Sextius promagistrate)

Egypt: 3 legions (perhaps including 2 formed from Pompey’s army)

Veterans: Julius Caesar had established at least two, and perhaps 3, colonies of veterans in Gallia Narbonensis; and two in Campania, one at Calatia and another at Casilinum (this one incomplete at Caesar’s death).

Paper topic #3

In the judgment of your character, has the Senate ordered appropriate action against Lepidus? What further steps (if any) should the Senate take against Lepidus?

Two pages, double-spaced, due in hard copy to Matt Wineski in class on Wednesday, March 5. Please e-mail to the Gamemaster at tkdix@uga.edu and post to the blog before class. You may post a longer version to the blog.